President John Dramani Mahama has ordered an investigation into the operations of the National Service Authority. The move comes after a headcount of National Service personnel revealed 81,885 names on the payroll that could not be accounted for.
The headcount was conducted at the request of the Ministry of Finance, which wanted to verify the number of personnel before clearing allowance arrears dating back to August 2024.
According to the Ministry of Finance, the actual number of National Service personnel is 98,145. This is lower than the 180,030 names presented by the previous management of the Authority for allowance payment in 2024.
The Ministry of Finance has released GHS 226,019,224 to cover allowance payment arrears for the verified personnel.
President Mahama has tasked the National Investigations Bureau to conduct the investigation. The new management of the National Service Authority has also been directed to implement reforms to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The investigation is ongoing.
Ruth Abla ADJORLOLO
